יום חמישי, ב׳ כסלו תשפ״זThursday, November 12, 2026
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These three years are meant to atone for Adam's sin – the sin of impatience.
The Kapishnitzer Rebbe promised her that her son would return to the fold very soon.
Logically, they knew that people in their situation are exempt. But as they witnessed all the other Jews performing such a great mitzvah, it deeply bothered them that they couldn’t join them.
Living at the height of European Romanticism and on the cusp of Nietzsche’s writings – which both contributed to a new much more pronounced interest in the individual – Netziv surely intuited the need to address the legitimate aspects of trends making inroads upon his students.
This is greatness. Not to be content with an individual solution that is beneficial only to yourself, but rather to change the accepted way things are done so that all may benefit from your experience.
One who wishes to avoid lashon hara and its consequences will constantly seek to find the good in others.
Distance has the same effect on the mind as on the eye. -Samuel Johnson
Will we still remember the importance of eating healthy now that we can again eat whatever we want outside?
You can imagine how great this person’s joy would be upon hearing this news and how he would count the days to his release from prison and his marriage to the princess.
When R’ Lopian finished speaking, the disciples were astounded to see their rebbe, R’ Schwadron, lie face down on the ground.
'--and Why We Avoid it Nonetheless
Freedom is not only about rights or privileges, but also about responsibilities.
The Hebrew word for despairing – me’ya’eish – is spelled with two yuds, which spell the name of Hashem.
The Rebbe wasn’t worrying about Lubavitcher chassidim, chassidim in general, or even observant Jews – he was worrying about one Jew who may be isolated from Torah in one corner of the world!
Freedom is the ability to strive to find the good where no one else sees it. And also to articulate it, with passion.
If the malach wouldn’t have struck him, Nevuchadnezzar would have disgraced all of David HaMelech’s praises and songs in Sefer Tehillim.
The Four Questions were composed as a prelude for the father to fulfill his biblical obligation. But what often happens is that a big to-do surrounds the Four Questions while the answers are not given the attention they deserve.
Although there is a strong basis for our propensity to be more stringent on Pesach than we are during the rest of the year, we should not turn that into a blanket attitude in which stringency is always followed, regardless of the other values at stake
The Shechinah is [so to speak] together with the Jewish people when they are in exile, and when they’re redeemed, Almighty G-d has dictated a redemption for Himself as well. He will come out of exile with them.
Hashem seeks people who are willing to subjugate their hearts to Him.
I never thought I would get so excited over a conversation with friends around a dinner table. I never was so enthusiastic about candies thrown at the bridegroom when he received an aliyah to the Torah.
Korbanot, a Once and Future Aspect of Temple Service
How far we are from those distant halachic discussions regarding a public oven for several families...
When the incident was related to R’ Tzvi Pesach Frank, he remarked, “This young girl is destined for greatness.”
The determination of who’s Jewish comes from Almighty G-d. No human being, or body of human beings, can make this determination.
If Dan is the extreme expression of Yosef in the same way that Shimon is of Yehuda, what was the importance of appointing tribesmen of Yehuda and Dan to lead the construction of the Mishkan?
The easiest way out of my problem would be to say that the Mishkan was designed based on people’s need to be impressed
A mistake that nearly had catastrophic results for the entire people of Israel ultimately revealed Moshe's true greatness as a national leader.
We are supposed to prepare for the 14th of Nissan, the day of the Exodus from Egypt. To study the holiday, to go through the Haggadah and, mainly, to go forth into freedom ourselves.
I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere to go. My own wisdom, and that of all about me, seemed insufficient for the day. -Abraham Lincoln
You won’t understand the logic of events as they occur because “My face may not be seen.”
Haman has oceans of honor but he’s lacking one drop. Everyone bows down to him, but he needs Mordechai to bow down, too. If not, all the honor he has received means nothing.
The great R’ Elchonon Wasserman noted that children form the foundation of the Jewish nation.
By submerging individual identity into the collective Hebrew nation, the kohanim work to cleanse the children of Israel from all transgressions and to inspire the people with a powerful show of kedusha.
Halacha tells us to obey the law of the land (Nedarim 28a), but this instruction applies only to material matters, not to spiritual matters.
Yet, if Mordechai teaches us that doubt is no reason for inaction, it is Esther that teaches us that it is actually a reason for even more effort
He had the vision to see how his seemingly ordinary activity would create something big and important.
What can the Mishkan teach us about the ways Divine revelation is channeled into our world?
Light is the first of painters. There is no object so foul that intense light will not make it beautiful. -Ralph Waldo Emerson
A Jew’s life is supposed to be governed by deliberation, forethought, mental preparedness, and understanding, not impulsivity or “living for the moment.”
Chabad Chassidus explains that Amalek represents a person who “knows his Master yet intends to rebel against him.” The commandment to remember Amalek calls on us to rid ourselves of any inclination toward this kind of behavior.
Our multicultural world might object to the idea any culture must be completely destroyed; the Torah disagrees
Celebrate what you want to see more of. -Thomas J. Peters
If you honor and esteem the values of your parents, you will merit long life since you will then have created a bridge between the past and the future and they will unite without interruption.
How should we understand the difference between the Written Torah and the Oral Torah within the context of Israel's identity and development?
We sat on a bench, and he spoke to me about how Hashem guides everything happening in the world. When we see something unusual, in particular, we should realize hashgacha pratis is at work.
Our sages note that “gemilus chassadim” is an interesting phrase because the root of “gemilus” means to finish.
But the Torah was given to real people, for whom love of the outsider would not always be so obvious.
Many family members of those who died from the pandemic speak of having missed out where their departed loved one is concerned. Nehora did not miss out.
Why were the Hebrews so surprised by the sudden news that they would receive the Torah in the form of a set of laws & a mission for the rest of humanity?
As a result of her effort to remain unobtrusive, she was hardly known among the Rebbe’s followers, which is amazing considering the central role of her husband, the Rebbe, in world Jewry.
Moshe to teach and/or judge the people in the fullest proper way, he would have to learn each person on the fly, quickly get a sense of the litigants in a case, the students in a shiur, and try to individualize his approach
Rav Kreiswirth would say, “This young man is my Gan Eden.”
By two wings a man is lifted up from things earthly: by simplicity and purity. -Thomas Kempis
In the days of radical change and revolution, everyone is swept outside. Private matters are pushed off, family life does not merit any attention, no one thinks it’s time to invest in the home.
Between the smashing of Egypt's military at the Sea of Reeds and the war against Amalek at Rephidim, the Hebrews had to develop a national perception of Emuna in preparation for receiving the Torah.
The Mechilta D’Rebbi Yishmael comments that the Torah can only be elucidated by those who ate from the mahn.
After such a miracle, how could the Jews possibly think about accumulating material wealth?
In the parshah we just read, G-d says to Moshe Rabbeinu: 'And I, too, heard the groans of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians are holding in bondage, and I remembered My covenant.'
What were the necessary steps for Israel to develop a national consciousness ahead of leaving Egypt?
The Rebbe refused to accept his mishloach manos until he promised to control his temper.
He thus encouraged everyone to utilize their talents and natural abilities to influence Jews to reinforce and advance their level of Torah observance.
Rashi and Hazal are telling us Egypt was much closer to current diasporas than we think
Advice for this stressful time: Rav Shlomo Wolbe said that we should pray at the start of the day over crises that we know will come.
All three individuals can do what was previously thought unachievable because their will and resolve unearth hidden strengths.
The ten plagues were part of a deliberate process to educate not only Egypt and Israel but also humanity.
Although I don't know you... I have heard about you that the spirit of G-d shines in you.
This story is actually a brilliant depiction of the interplay between divine providence and free will. Without taking away our ability to “surprise Him,” God – when needed – doesn’t hesitate to steer us in the direction He wants.
Moshe (which means "drawn out”) was drawn out of the water and he in turn drew the people out of the depths of slavery and ignorance into a life of freedom and Torah.
Did Moshe attempt to create a new Hebrew nation that would replace the children of Israel and be born free from the psychological degradation of slavery?
If a diamond is exposed to the heat of a flame for 30-45 seconds and then dropped in icy water, it won’t react to the extreme temperature change.
It is known among all the world’s religions that it is impossible for all members of a religion to be equally careful in observing the religion absolutely with all one’s heart and soul in all details.
Every act that a person does makes an impact on the world, whether good or otherwise.
Prayer with such devotion helps and aids one to withstand one’s evil inclination all day, even after prayer, to fulfill all G-d’s commandments, whether avoiding wrongdoing or doing good…for its memory remains with a person in his mind and heart all day.
So while a proper reading of the Book of Bereshit introduces us to moral complexity, its end pushes us even further. It prepares us for the fact that there is even a level of moral complexity, which we should realize exists even if we may never understand it
He responded, “Better that he broke your nose now than broke your marriage later.”
This year, Asarah B’Teves falls on a Friday – the only time a public fast day falls immediately before Shabbos. In fact, the fast continues into Shabbos, until three stars appear in the sky.
Judaism sees marriage differently. Married life is a microcosm of human interaction in the world at large. Marriage is the best school for learning the laws of human relationships.
Here Yehudah faces the challenge of facing up to an uncomfortable truth of his family dynamic, his father’s greater need for Binyamin’s presence.
In a moment of crisis and doubt, Yosef is reminded of his father and mother, of their values, their home, and the moral compass they represent.
When the video was shown to the judge, those present in court say he was obviously favorably impressed by the Rebbetzin’s unexpected statement, which probably sparked his ultimately favorable ruling.
The Hebrew word for ring, “taba’as,” has the same root as “teva” (nature).
How Yehudah Turned Bnai Ya’akov into Bnai Yisrael
All agree that the Chanukah candles represent insights
My necessary suffering was clear: postponing the wedding, entering isolation, placing my relatives in isolation, treating the headaches and other corona symptoms that had begun to appear. Despite all of this, I had to cope. That was clear.
He tried to size me up based on that one moment. He didn’t take into account all the effort I had been putting in.
Openness to acculturation, assimilation, and the foreign influences of the street leads to the destruction of the sanctity of the Jewish home.
For chassidim, Kislev features another celebration. On the 19th of Kislev in 1798, the Alter Rebbe was released from Czarist imprisonment.
Ramban’s view of yibum has long fascinated me, because of the metaphysics it assumes about a seemingly natural event.
To our dismay, the pandemic is a fact. But it’s not necessary that we become addicted to screens, to eating junk food, to wasting time, to cutting social ties, to sinking into pessimism. The pandemic doesn’t exempt us from decisions on how to behave.
“What new light has been added to your life?”
At the time of the wedding, many already realized this son-in-law would one day be the Rebbe Rayatz's successor.
What difference did it make to Esav whether Yaakov kept the mitzvos or not?
Rav Hirsch famously criticizes Yitzchak and Rivkah for not educating Esav according to his innate personality, and instead trying to force him to be like Ya’akov. His insight is meant to teach that while it was Esav that made the choice to go ‘off the derekh,’ there is always much that parents can try to do before that happens.
The revolution of Yitzchak is different – not to rebel, but to toe the line, to continue the tradition, to dig the same wells.
It is said of our ancestor Avraham that he didn’t seek to serve Hashem with mesiras nefesh, yet, when it was required of him, he was ready to give up everything for Hashem’s sake.
According to a familiar adage of Vishnitzer chassidim, a tear shed during prayer is more powerful than many fasts.
This week’s parsha is one place to see other valid options for how to deal with the underhanded. Know when to take the high-road; know when to go low
If we are learning Torah at a particular moment, then that is our mission at that moment, without allowance for any distractions.
November 6, 2026 
